Letter-box and collecting-pouch.



S. A. KISS.

LETTER BOX AND COLLECTING POUCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1914.

1,192,766, Patented July 7, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHBET l.

WITNESSES INVENTOR THE NORRIS PETERS (50.. FHOTO-LITHOH "/VASHINGTON, D.- C.

S. A. KISS.

LETTER BOX AND COLLECTING POUCH.

APPLICATION FILED A PR. B, 1914.

M 4 l ly/11ml? BY fly ATTO EV L'EITii 'ESSES STEPHEN A. KISS, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

LETTER-BOX AND COLLECTING-POUCH.

Application filed April 6, 1914. Serial No. 829,900.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. Kiss, a

d subject of the King of Hungary, and resident of Yonkers, in the county of Testchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Irnprovements in Letter-Boxes and. Collecting- Pouches, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to letter boxes and collecting pouches or bags 00- operating therewith.

One of the objects of the invention is to so construct these two elements that, on attaching the collecting bag to the letter box, the former is automatically opened, the bottom of the letter box being caused to swing around its hinges by means carried by the bag, whereby the letters or other mail matter are emptied into the bag.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrange ment and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical central section taken through a letter box constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a detail of construction; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the said detail; Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a key for open-- ing the box; Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the collecting pouch or bag; Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the frame of the same; Fig. 12 is a section taken on line l212 of Fig. 10; Fig. 13 is a section taken on line 1313 of Fig. 10; Fig. 14 is a section taken on line 14ilei of Fig. 10; Fig. 15 is a plan view of a key for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July *7, 1914.

opening the pouch; and Fig. 16 is a front elevation of said key.

The letter box is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, in which the numeral 20 indicates the casing of the box, preferably a double walled sheet metal receptacle, having a cover 21, preferably sloping downward on all sides and projecting beyond the vertical walls of the casing to cause rain, water, etc., to run off the same. Thecasing is provided in its vertical side walls with the usual slots 22 for the introduction of letters or other mail matters, said slots being normally closed by hinged flaps 23. The bottom 24 of the box is pivoted at 25 to the sides of the casing 20. This bottom is also double'walled and incloses, like the parallel sections of the walls of the casing, an insulating material, denoted by the numeral 26. The front edge 27 of the bottom is provided with a horizontal projection 28, that is engaged by a plurality of locking bolts 29, which are slidably arranged in guides 30. Each of these locking bolts is connected by a link 31 withvan actuating pin 32, the said pins being disposed vertically in apertures 33 in the front wall of the casing. The apertures 33 are, preferably, of different sizes and of different configurations for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Springs 35, disposed in the front wall of the casing 20, bear against the looking bolts 29, and serve to hold the latter'in their projected positions, in which they keep the bottom of the letter box closed.

In the lowermost portions of the sides of the casing are provided grooves 36, preferably, of quadrangular cross section, These grooves are disposed below the bottom 24 and extend throughout the lengths of said sides, merging into slots 37 of the same lengths, the latter extending through the lower faces of said sides. In each groove 36 is disposed a stop 38, that is preferably attached to the rear wall of the casing and provided in its front edge with notches 39 in the same manner and for the same purpose as the bits of keys are provided with wards. explained hereinafter.

It is to be observed that any suitable number of locking bolts may be provided upon the box. In the case illustrated in the drawings four have been shown. If it is intended to open the box for repairing pur- The purpose f these stops will be poses or for inspection, the repairman or inspector may do so'by means of the key illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, of the drawings. This key comprises a base plate 40, having four upwardly projecting lugs 41, the sizes and configurations of which correspond to those of the apertures 33. By

inserting the lugs into the saidapertures and forcing the same upward, the actuating pins 32 are caused to move upward, thereby retracting the locking bolts 29 against the action of their springs 35 and releasing thus the bottom 24 of the box.

. The collecting pouch is illustrated in Figs. 10 to 14, inclusive, and comprises a quadrangular frame 42, to which is fastened by rivets 43, or otherwise, a pouch or bag 44.

grooves 53 in the side sections of the frame 42. Springs 54, disposed 1n a groove 55111 the front section of the frame 42, keep the lugs in their projected positions, in which -,theyv hold'the cover of the pouch in its closed position. In the rear ends of the bars 52fare formed notches or wards 56, corresponding to the notches 39 in the stops 38.

1 In the groove 55 is disposed a plate mem- '-ber 57, carrying upon its upper face pins 58, which are adapted to project through apertures 59 in the front portion of the ,frame 42. The sizes and configurations of the pins 58 correspond to those of the apertures 33 in the casing of the letter box, and the location of the pins 58 is such that they register with the apertures 33 in the letter box'when the collecting pouch is put, in a manner hereinafter ,to be described, in position upon the said letter box; A spring 60, bearing against the plate 57 and the front portion of the frame 42, keeps the pins 58 normally within the said frame. Lugs 61, disposed upon the underface of the plate member 57, project through openings 62 in the, front portion of the frame 42 below the lower face of the latter, and serve as means, whereby the said plat-e member 57 may be raised and the pins 58 projected ;through the apertures 59. The s ide bars of the] frame 42 fit the grooves 36 1n the side wallsof the casing of the letter box.

f To the cover frame 46 are attached straps which project through openings 64 in the frame 42. The purpose of this arrangement will be described hereinafter.

In Figs. 15 and 16 a key for opening the pouch is illustrated, said key comprising a bar 65, that is provided with fingers 66, which extend at right angles to the bar 65,

"said fingers being provided with notches or wards 67, corresponding to the wards 56 above described. If it is intended to open the pouch, the fingers 66 of the key are inserted into the grooves 53 and engaged with 7 the bars 52' therein. By forcing the said bars toward the front end of the bag frame 42, the lugs 51 are disengaged from the cover frame 46,: which will then drop and permit of access to the interior of the pouch. To close the pouch, the cover frame is raised bymeans of the straps 63 until the lugs 51 are engaged with the projection 50 thereof.

The operation of these devices is as follows:

In order to empty the contents of the letter; box into the collecting pouch, the mail collector seats the rear ends of the side bars of the pouch frame 42 into the grooves 36 in the sides of the letter box, and pushes the pouch frame toward the rear wall of the said box,;g whereby the stops 38 in the grooves 36 engage with the bars 52 in the grooves 53 in the pouch frame and shift the said bars against the action of the springs 54,. thereby disengaging the lugs 51 from the coverfiq frame 46. The cover frame drops thusby its own weight into the pouch. When the pouch frame is in proper position upon the letter box, the apertures 59 in the pouch frame 42 register with the apertures 33 inins the front wall of the letter box. When, therefore, the operator takes hold of the lugs 61 and thereby forces the plate number 57'upward, the pins 58will shift the actuating pins 32 in the letter box upwardflioo thus retracting the locking bolts 29 and releasing the bottom 24 of' the letter box, which by its own weight drops into the pouch. The letters, or other mail matters, within the letter box will then drop into thei 1 5 collecting pouch. After this, the operator takes hold of the straps 63. By pulling the said straps upward, both the cover frame 46 of the collecting pouch and the bottom 24 of the letterbox are raised and closed. The. 11 collecting pouch is then withdrawn from the letter box. 7

To the lower, edge of the front wall of the letter box may be pivotally attached a narrow strip 68, which normally conceals thel bottom of the box from view, and at the same time gives a'finished appearance tothe said box.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus for receiving-and col-"I lecting mail, the combination with a letter box having a hinged bottom, of a plurality of locking boltsin said box engaging said bottom for holding the same in closed position, the side walls of said box being pro-T vided at theirlower ends with grooves ex tending therethrough, a stop disposed in each groove, a mail bag comprising a frame, the side portions of which are adapted to be seated in said grooves, a bar shiftably" disposed in each of said side portions provided with lugs, a cover upon said bag held in closed positions by said lugs, said lugs being automatically disengaged from said cover by the said stops actin upon said bars when the side portions of said frame are pushed into the grooves in said side walls, and means upon said bag frame for retracting said locking bolts when said bag is in proper position upon said box.

2. In an apparatus for receiving and collecting mail, the combination with a letter box having a hinged bottom, of a plurality of locking bolts in said box engaging said bottom for holding the same in closed position, actuating pins connected with said locking bolts, the side walls of said box being provided at their lower ends With grooves extending therethrough, a stop disposed in each groove, a mail bag comprising a frame, the side portions of which are adapted to be seated in said grooves, a bar shiftably disposed in each of said side portions provided with lugs, a cover upon said bag held in closed positions by said lugs, said lugs being automatically disengaged from said cover by the said stops acting upon said bars when the side portions of said frame are pushed into thegrooves in said side walls, a plurality of shiftable pins upon said bag frame in registering position with said actuating pins when said bag is in proper position upon said box, and means for shiftingthe pins upon said bag frame and thereby said actuating pins, whereby said locking bolts are retracted,

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 10th day of March, A. D. 1914.

STEPHEN A. KISS.

Witnesses:

S. BIRNBAUM, FRANK HOVANEC.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

